Week IV: Pump & Circumstance

Counter-productive Concentration Camp - Tuesday, January 25 2005

i just realized today that i didn't make any new year's resolutions. well, i don't think i really ever do, but yeh...ah well. (this doesn't mean i'm gonna come up with them now, but it's just something i noticed)

neway, so today was the 2nd day in a row me n eric went to "pump" (as he calls it) @ Gold's. i figure i'm not really gonna be exercising much when i go to HK 2 weeks from now, so i might as well try n do as much as possible before i leave (and only cuz i've got a 7-day free pass). back in 'Loo i went maybe 2 or 3x a week, seeing as how i usu. just did a few sets of stuff all over the place never concentrating on just one muscle group (i.e. chest-day, shoulders-day, etc...), so working out w/ mr. "hardcore" vuong is an interesting change. it's like workout concentration camp or somethin...

since i'm gonna go like at least 5 days in a row (to make the most of my cheapass free pass of course), it only makes sense to blast one body part per day & let it rest while i work something else the next day. so, monday was shoulders, today (tuesday) we did back. my traps are still sore from monday, but i'm shuddering at the thought of how my lats/lower back are gonna feel tomorrow morning. O_o

workout was good, i'll prbbly buy a membership for this place when i finally do settle down. it's big, clean, and accessible. one thing though, i gotta stop eating all this crap after working out. yesterday it was greasy pho. today? right after the gym = KFC. nasty...

got bored n did this quick online survey i've been seeing on other ppls pages.

You Are 24 Years Old

24 20-29: You are a twentysomething at heart. You feel excited about what's to come... love, work, and new experiences.

well whaddya know? a few months early, but pretty accurate i guess?

What Age Do You Act?

McBastards - Wednesday, January 26 2005

wednesdays used to be wonderful. wonderful, glorious, mcChicken-filled wednesdays. why'd they have to go & be cheap, nickel & DIMING us poor peasants...bloody mcDeals are $1.79 now?? apparently they have been for a while. my goodness, what's next? good grief...

worked chest today @ the gym. my parents were watching some Chinese TV last night n there was actlly a short segment profiling some amateur/pro bodybuilder, and "surprise-surprise" he's a regular @ Gold's. i watched a bit of it, n thought it so peculiar that the scenes they shot of him working out seemed so familiar, n then i realized it was the same gym i was at just a few hours ago. now if that's not a coincidence, they showed the dude chowing down on some mega-healthy freak wrap in some food court...n that seemed familiar too. that's b/c it was the same food court where i'd been downing some KFC yesterday. lol, guess that's why he's a bodybuilder n i'm not. other regular's also tell me the dude's a juice monkey, you can kinda tell too. during interviews n stuff he stuttered a lot n just seemed like..."slow" or out of it. said he spends over $10K/year on "nutritional products" too. O_o that don't sound too healthy to me.

uy...i think i'm gonna have sore boobs tomorrow.

sore boobs & pick-up lines - Thursday, January 27 2005

boobs are ok...
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...a lil tender, but ok.

worked legs today. ouch. i never ever work legs. dude, i don't even know how to work legs. but now i do. sort of. tomorrow, my ass will be sore...
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also started workin' on my "honger lingo" today (in preparation for my HK trip of course). cuz u know, i gotta be "in the know" when it comes to meeting the honger wildlife right? so instead of our North American:

"hey, how's it goin'?"

it oughtta be like:
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"hei, HAO'S GO-inG?"

and replace the famous mr. trebiani's:




"how YOU doin'?"

with mr. wingwa ching-chang's:
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"how DOO-inG?"

yeah...that's the killer. watch out HK, "cha siu nova's" on the way...

Friday, January 28 2005


saw a bit of this old movie called "I.Q." while eating breakfast this morning. well it's not that old, i think prbbly around 10 years or so...but yeh i never knew what it was about. i rmmbr seeing ads for the movie showing Tim Robbins, but i never knew it was about Einstein (Walter Matthau does a pretty good job portraying the funky physicist) too. i rmmbr having a g/f (can't quite rmmbr which witch) who had a thing for Einstein too...thought he was cute or somethin' cuz of his eccentricity. basically it's about Einstein (Matthau) trying to set up his niece (Meg Ryan) w/ a mechanic (Robbins), only him n his buddies have to try n make Ed (the mechanic/Robbins) look smart b/c his niece wants to marry a genius so she can have smart kids. it's pretty cool.

last day of the week for workin' out; arms today. it's only been a week and my body feels like a wreck, but in a good way. wow, if i could keep this up for a couple months that'd be cool...but i'm heading off to HK to get fat again. nyeh...

okok, i was only joking about "which witch". nobody's a witch, that's mean. they're all very nice. but i still can't rmmbr who had the crush on Einstein though...O_o

(later on that day...)

>=[ haaaaaatutututut...ooooh...i think i've reached my boiling point. called Craftsman Collision to follow up & kindly "remind" them that they need to give us our money back for the "deductible" they wrongly collected from us over a year ago. spoke to some chick tamara: told her the incident occurred back in summer 2003, and that ICBC had told me they'd already contacted the shop & were just waiting for them to go through their records. so, they've been "going through records" for over 2 months now. what's they hold up? ("going through records" my ass!) tamara says that since it happened so long ago she'd need to get some info again (plate #'s, car model, who brought the car in (my mom), etc...) so i cooperate. then all of a sudden she pauses n goes:

"hmm...oh waitaminut, do you have a sister or something?"

O_o?? totally unexpected question. plus i was already a little peeved that they haven't really been working towards giving us our refund back, so i just give her a quick:

"yeah? why?"

then it hits me why she asked...

tamara: ooh, yeah i think i remember that day now. your mom came in with your sister, and did she (my mom) started crying?

yeeeah. so this happened over a year ago and she still remembers it. must've been that big of a deal. so she goes ok, gives me some bs about how she's gonna check some stuff and call me back within the day. fine. she calls me back about an hour later asking me if i want a cheque/credit card refund. i figure i'll let my mom make the call so i say i'll call her back. can't get a hold of my mom at work, but pop calls home during lunch n i mention it to him & he says just take a cheque.

(about 2 hours later)

i call the shop looking for tamara, she's out on break, so this guy ray answers the phone. honestly can't rmmbr, but i think ray's the guy who my mom spoke w/ at that time. i let him know i'm getting a refund, prefer the cheque method. he was going along with it n now, i could've just left it at that n it would've been done...but something inside of me just wasn't satisfied. so i go ahead n let him know i'd appreciate a lil written apology (nothing big), uknow, just a lil somethin' to apologize for the delay/misunderstanding.

all of a sudden ray's taken aback now n wants to know why. i just say it's been a long inconvenience (over a year), n about how the situation wasn't handled "ideally". now i'm being polite already here, not asking for a public humiliating admission of fault, just a little customer service. service w/ a smile u know? he says he can't recall the incident w/ the courtesy car. at that point i could smell him sh*tting his pants from over the phone. i didn't mention no courtesy car, but this dude knew exactly what i was talking about. i'm thinking: (u bastard, even tamara remembers that day, & she wasn't even the one doing the talking. it was you wasn't it, you spineless little weasel...)

buddy tried to talk his way out of it saying that he'll once again "look through stuff" and if there was something done in error he'd include an apology. more bs. tamara'd already verified the charge you'd made, that's why we're getting the refund. what difference does it make? don't tell me you "don't know whether ICBC takes care of it or not". bottom line is: ICBC paid you for the repairs. you charged us, and we paid for the repairs. you collected double. i don't care whose fault it is, you've got money that you shouldn't. that's that, no "ifs", "ands" or "buts" about it. so if i hadn't been hounding you what would've happened? prbbly at end of the fiscal year, ur sitting around n go:

"oh hey lookie here, we've got an extra couple hundred bucks? how'd that happen? ah well, we're just so s-m-rt. that must be why."

you bastards make me sick.

i heard a !ding! (toaster oven- my sandwich was done) so i reluctantly let him off the phone n that was that. i was seriously tempted to just hang up n go over there n see this dude up front. i'm not looking for a fight, but you can't put me on hold and make me listen to ur recorded message that goes on preaching about how you "value customer service" and then have you not give a rat's ass about this, PLUS the fact that you're being petty and refusing to own up to the fact that you BLEW IT. your voicemail message proudly advertises your "95% customer approval rating", so what? i guess i'm the missing 5%??

whoooosaaaaa....

ok. it's not good/healthy to be angry. i need to pacify myself with some meat. or calm this rage with some sugar. ah well, that's what the gym's for right? finally went n got through my final day of torture at Gold's...n then met up w/ good'ol "do mah pete" at Mui garden for some grub. deep fried curry beef brisket w/ coconut milk. mmm.... need to go for a swim tomorrow.

o yeh...my ass is sore.

working out is good, but having a big ass greasy bowl of pho & some deep fried spring rolls right afterwards isn't. *sigh*...when will i learn?? O_o

anyway, it's official: Feb. 03 2005 = ( . ) -------> HK

Week III: damn, where does the time go?

multiplicity - Tuesday, January 18 2005

diggin' through boxes of old stuff/garbage in my room, trying to "clean up" but i'm prbbly making more of a mess as i go along o_O. tons of old crap; pictures, old school agendas, notes, trinkets/souvenirs, body parts...o wait, those wouldd fall under the 'souvenir' category...gadgets, old firecrackers (those really shouldn't be lying around...), etc. one odd thing (well actlly 3) i found though; old/expired driver's licenses?! i think i rmmbr having kept one of 'em in the past (why/how i did it i can't rmmbr), but 3?


...(current DL + 3 old???)

but then i figured it out, they weren't all mine. see, 1 was my old one, n the others belonged to my brothers. i have 2 identical brothers. see, there's me (Raph), the ever-so-popular raLph, and the moody rOlf. who's who?

other news: looks like plans to visit 'Loo will have to wait till March/April. prbbly gonna go to HK in feb. instead for chinese new year. just beginning to touch base w/ ppl over there so nothing solid yet, but hopefully i'll get to stay there for around 4 weeks or so. instead of just going for fun/shopping etc...i hope i'm actlly gonna be able to serve or do something more meaningful over there this time. got some family friends & relatives who say they might have a few good ministry opportunities over there...i know i'm only planning to be there for less than a month, but we'll see how it goes. i hear they've got really cold weather there for them (coldest xmas in 40 years or something like that). *whew*...that's good news for me, i don't like hot. i think i'll feel right at home then walkin around with my sandals n shorts in their "freezing" 8-10C weather, w/ all the other hongers bundled up in toques & scarves. =P

AA = annoyance & amusement - Wednesday, January 19 2005

went to the Chinese Embassy today w/ my mom to apply for my HK SAR Passport, HK ID, & a Visa just in case i decide to go to China when i visit HK next month. omg...my mom was SO paranoid/flustered/anxious/up tight about the whole process; about the forms, the information i filled out, the way i imprinted my thumb print, etc...yeesh. but she had good reason too though, man those stereotypes about the Chinese gov't being all uptight & snobby & .....#$&^*&! (basically morons). commy bastards...lol anyway, there were tons of ppl waiting around in the room (about 40) so we had to take a number: 389. they were on 340. i'd filled out the forms at home last night, so w/ nothing to do for a while i busted out a pear n just sat there; quietly munching, minding my own business. not even 2 minutes later that sorry excuse for a security guard comes up to me n says "no eating sir." huh?! O_o "o really? sorry, i didn't see a sign...?" he points at a board behind the counter he sits at w/ writing about the size of the bottom row on the eye chart @ your optometrist's office.

i give him a quick shrug of disbelief, and then, not wanting to spoil my appetite in the presence of mr. chinaman's BO, i walk out the door into the hallway to finish of my fruit. afterwards, i walk back in and out of boredom (partly out of spite too, just to annoy the heck out of mr. tightass) i walk around his counter and stand behind his chair so i can read the sign. this chinese version of mr. bean turns around and asks me what i want. "sorry, you said this is the sign that says 'no food allowed'?...yes i see, last line of rule #4 for 'Code of Conduct'...i just want to make sure there isn't anything else i'm not allowed to do in here."

after spending sufficient time standing there reading all 12 of the rules (some of them pretty ridiculous i.e. "do not damage tables & chairs in the embassy, etc...") and sufficiently annoying the shifty security guard i sat down w/ my mom and continued waiting. 369. man, it felt like forever. didn't help w/ my mom constantly bugging me too. not just her though, you walk in there and you could seriously just feel the stress/tension in the air! lol, felt like those waiting rooms for RCM Music Examinations back in the day. we got into a small argument about how she thought it was common sense for ppl not to eat in a place like this. common sense? says who? chinese ppl love to eat! and it's not like the place "looked" like it didn't allow food; it looked like a cross between an airport terminal & a school cafeteria. besides, if they're gonna make you wait hours on end for your number to be called, isn't it logical that ppl will need to snack while waiting? yeesh. lastly, so they really do have a "no food policy". put up a friggin sign for cryin' out loud! heck, i'll draw one myself and put it on the door if they complain about the gov't not having enough $$$ yaddayadda... seriously, rules are fine, but make them known & make them visible right? >=[

alright, that's enough venting. uncle (mom's lil bro) came from HK today to visit grandma, he'll be in town till sunday. went for dim sum, traded stories, caught up a bit, told him i'd finally played some "serious" tennis while i was in Waterloo. maybe i'll play when i'm in HK. o wow, look at me talking like that: "when i'm in HK..." uy...talking like i'm already going for sure. better watch out, don't wanna jinx myself. after lunch, came home & played w/ a very impatient see fut jai. we ignored her all morning cuz we were in a rush to go to the embassy (which is only open from 0900-1300). poor bobo...it's been raining like mad lately, all the snow's pretty much gone, and that meant every time we let bobo out my mom makes her put on all this "rain gear" to minimize the amount of wiping/cleaning up we have to do for the mongrel when she comes back in out of the rain. didn't matter how riled up i was this morning - one look @ bobo in all her "waterproof" glory makes all the anger go away...
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poor thing...

she looks like she's ready to head off to work or something!

speaking of bobo...i think we should cut her hair soon, & speaking of hair...i was due for a haircut too. dropped by the around 1200 to see if he (mike the barber)could squeeze me in on our way back from the embassy, dude's booked till 1700. k so i go back @ 1700 & he's still working on someone so i don't get to sit down till 1730. i don't mind the wait, he does a good job. i used to cut my own hair pretty much all the way through highschool, mainly cuz i was never good at telling the person what i wanted. i'd just be like "uh...yeah, sure, whatever...". do-it-yourself was cheaper too. anyway, after highschool's when i 1st started going to this dude cuz i got lazy, he worked @ the chinese shop my mom sometimes went to n he seemed like he knew what he was doing so i thought i'd give him a try. turns out he's the cousin of one of the older dudes i knew in highschool. cuts my hair (and washes it) for $9! i was sold. o yeah, n he's a good barber/stylist/hair-cutter-er (or whatever u call 'em) too. only thing is he works a lil slow (but then again, genius takes time right?) & he talks a lot. which is ok though i guess, he's an interesting guy; we swap stories about injuries (me: rugby, him: hockey), girls...u know, that kinda stuff.

anyway, so today i see he's been working non-stop right (booked all day till like 1830), so i ask him if he's taken a break. buddy goes:

mike: just a quick one man, i didn't wanna work all day but i just spent a lot of money, need to catch up.

me: o yeah? what'd u get?

mike: just bought some new scissors today.

me: (looking @ my own bewildered face in the mirror) scissors??

mike: yeah meng, i got 2 pair. (buddy's from vietnam, so he's got a slight accent goin on)

me: huh?! how much are scissors?!

mike: mmm...well the 2 pair i got today, add together, about $600.

me: $600?!?! (mouth stays open) wha...what the heck are they made of? titanium?

mike: haha, no meng, just like metal, stainless steel. look, i'm using one right now...

he shows me the one he's currently using to cut my hair. explains how it's better; how he can cut the same amount in 3 'snips' that it'd normally take 10 to cut w/ a crappier pair. ok...O_o then i see the catalogue, sitting open on the counter. pair of scissors on the page was listed at bloody $349!!! a pair of scissors? uy...learn something new every day. man, i started feeling bad...(maybe i should tip him a lil more this time...nah)...but yeah that's crazy. then again, he prbbly thinks i'm crazy for buying fibreglass buckets w/ removable windows to wear on my head. nyeh...to each his own.

o yeh, more "amusements" (from DC's blog):

something maybe Torontonians could relate to?

something I can relate to

just damn funny


Thursday, January 20 2005

wanted to go for a swim today...but lacked motivation. went for some pho w/ eric n andy...tried convincing me to hook up w/ their friend (our waitress): Linda. O_o damn, i better get outta here while i still can!

went downtown after; chilled/bummed around, went to visit alan @ his new job working @ some coffee joint..."tested" his customer service skills. but yeh, this can't go on for too much longer. i need to do something. i'll go swimming tomorrow. maybe...

!EDIT!
o yeah...i'd better make sure i follow through w/ this HK trip idea, just turned down a contract from BCIT that would've lasted 5 months starting next monday. =\

dullsville

Monday, January 10 2005

saw "House of Flying Daggers" w/ a friend on sunday night, it was alright i guess. action was fine, found the romance extremely sappy though...like the part at the end - can we seriously die already? guess i'm a party pooper for those who appreciate the "artsy fartsy-ness" of these kind of films, i'm just too stuck on realism i guess. real life is strange enough as it is.

bloody BCIT went on STRIKE so i haven't had any work assignments and probably won't for a while. out of boredom, decided to finally ride the new Millenium Line part of the Skytrain so i can say that i've actually been on it now. rode out to Lougheed Town Centre; walked around n got me some pizza, a Batman t-shirt (yes a Batman t-shirt, i think i had one like it when i was a kid, only $8!), then rode the rails till they looped around back to Royal Oak n walked home.

aside from rotting at home, i've been taking a look at possibly trying some internship program stuff for recent graduates that ppl have told me about. get some "global experience" as they say...but yeah i checked out some links n like 98% of the positions say they've been filled/cancelled already, so there was like only 1 that looked interesting; some gig in China, but i'd have to fly out to St. John's Newfoundland first i think to hook up w/ the organization responsible for it, but yeah...i pray that the doors will open or close in such a way that i'll be able to discern which direction to head towards.

hopefully figure out exactly when i'll be using up my free HMY ticket real soon...tentatively thinking i'll fly over on Feb. 16th, visit 'Loo till the weekend, then head out to TO on saturday or something n just chill till the 23rd or so. that is, as long as something doesn't come up in between now & then.

Tuesday, January 11 2005

parents didn't feel like cooking tonight so we went for dinner at some korean place ("Hoonwari"). not bad, had lots of beef. that was good. anyway, guess i haven't taken the time to actlly sit around n "chill" w/ my parents for a while since they were gone during the holidays & pretty much went straight back to work after they returned, so it was interesting when my mom mentioned how she's reading some book, n that after she reads it at night before she goes to sleep she tends to sleep pretty well. she's usu. always complaining about not sleeping well so i ask her what book - "Intimate Death" she says. huh?! ok...me n my dad nearly choked on our kimchi...a book w/ the title "Intimate Death" helps you sleep better at night?! O_o but yeah, so my mom went on to explain...

Intimate Death - How the Dying Teach Us How to Live
By Marie de Hennezel (translated by Carol Janeway)

written by a (French) psychologist who cared for terminally ill patients in a palliative care unit, it reads like a journal/diary. from Amazon.com:

"How do we learn to die? Most of us spend our lives avoiding that question, but this luminous book--a major best-seller in France--answers it with a directness and eloquence that are nothing less than transforming. As a psychologist in a hospital for the terminally ill in Paris, Marie de Hennezel has spent seven years tending to people who are relinquishing their hold on life. She tells the stories of her patients and their families. de Hennezel teaches us how to turn death--our loved ones' or our own--from something lonely and agonizing into a sacred passage. She discusses the importance of an honest reckoning, the value of ritual, the necessity of touch. In imparting these lessons, Intimate Death becomes a guide to living more fully, more intensely, than we had thought possible."

interesting...i think i'll give it a read when she's done w/ it. o yeah, the korean bbq was good. they had some honey-potatoe thing too...mmmm...did i mention there was lots of beef?

Wednesday, January 12 2005

after eating all that korean bbq last night (plus finishing off a tub of cherry/chocolate ice cream when i got home from dinner...and that sandwich before bed) i thought i'd go do some exercise today. originally wanted to go for a swim, but i've been kinda sick the past few days n didn't wanna make it worse so i thought maybe i'd just go to the gym. buddy tells me to go try out his gym w/ him since he's a member n i could try it out for free if i went w/ him:

i've always been aware of the "Gold's" name & reputation, but until the last few years there haven't been that many Canadian locations. most of the guys there are the hardcore lifters, most of 'em are on something too; either massive supplements or crank (steroids). it was a relatively new facility, nice equipment, clean, spacious, n it costs around $40/month. so i start thinking; even if i get to go to BCIT for free, i still have to pay $3 parking each time i go (if i go more than 13 times in a month i've already payed for a Gold's membership), so i actually think $40/month for a membership @ Gold's is worth it since they got better equipment (a lot nicer/cleaner than nasty stank ass school gyms too, i.e. UW's PAC/BCIT's Fit Pit) & it's just a better gym environment overall. just a bit of a drive that's all...nyeh...maybe i'll think about it.

went to check out guitars again w/ eric n his lil bro, lil jeffrey picked up an epiphone (some crazy model that i have no clue about...i just know it has a lotta cool buttons n stuff), n i checked out prices on my warlock down @ Westcoast Music. didn't have my model in stock, n their retail selling price was pretty hefty so it looks like i'll be getting my gear from L&M afterall.

Thursday, January 13 2005

another lazy day, not much goin on...went around west 4th to check out boarding gear (mainly boots)...bloody expensive!!! yeesh...don't think i'm gonna buy my own gear this year, wouldn't be worth it. hopefully i'll be around for the Snow Show in fall & get some goodies there, or maybe i'll ebay it? hmmm....

caught Blade Trinity late @ night, more just to check out which parts of the BCIT Downtown Campus they used in the film rather than b/c i actually really wanted to see the movie. basically the entire final fight scene was done in the building. still, it wasn't a bad movie; good action, funny, & Jessica Biel's not too bad either...w/ a bow & arrow.

welp...tmrrw...i think it's about time this turtle needs to reacquaint himself w/ the pool, & then maybe night boarding @ Cypress.

the Wanderer - Friday, January 14 2005

so lazy ass didn't go swimming today, decided to stay home & eat whatever i could find; including a couple chunks of that "Baker's Chocolate" stuff (u know, that stuff that's sposed to be for baking)...but mmmm...dark chocolate...so good... buy yeah, so around 1600 i was pretty excited to go boarding since i haven't gone in 3 years - but the way my ass hurts right now maybe i won't be able to go for another 5 years. =P

got there early w/ JB, other ppl hadn't showed up yet so we went for a couple runs first. my rental boots & bindings were ghetto crap, but nyeh i won't use those as an excuse. JB took me down a blue run, few minor wipeouts, then went down a green named "Panorma". halfway down we came to a small clearing & i wanted to take a break n get some photos of the city so i told JB to go on down ahead. he was kinda hesitant about leaving me on the mountain alone, but i thought nothing of it n just told him i'd be down in a bit. so he went, n i got out my camera:

took a lil longer getting down that i expected, didn't see him at the bottom...so i just decided to keep on going. i figured he'd find the others when they got here, they'd go do their runs n i'd just take it easy on my own, so why not just go separately n meet up when it was time to go right? no biggie i thought, so for the next 2 hours or so i just kept taking the lifts up n coming down some of the easier runs, just practice getting back in the groove n getting the rust off my boarding skills. kept an eye out for the others every time i was waiting @ the lifts/on the runs but didn't see 'em. i was doin pretty good, having a good time on my own, then i started getting a lil tired/hungry so i walked down to the lodge/cafeteria to grab a bite. who do i see all distraught looking in front of the lodge? kyle, jacq & JB. they give me this look & i could tell something was coming...they'd been waiting/searching for me the whole time. they'd taken turns w/ one person waiting @ the bottom & the other 2 going up n looking for me as they came down on the runs...they were worried that i might've fallen off some jump/cliff somewhere on the mountain so they were going everywhere looking in ditches n stuff, & after 1.5 hours had passed they even went to the Ski Patrol & reported me missing! i couldn't believe it...hilarious. after getting a burger and having them keep bugging me about how i should have a leash attached to me @ all times, i had to go over to the Ski Patrol & report that i had been "found".

turns out there's 2 sides of the mountain & i had somehow wandered over to the lifts on the other side where they weren't. O_o?? the b.d.b. strikes again. for the rest of the night they said i needed a "chaperone" to make sure i didn't wander off. one thing kinda puzzled me; how'd they expect to spot me when everyone's pretty much looks the same when they're all bundled up in boarding gear, and when it's night time? simple they said. i was the only idiot cruising the mountain wearing a backpack. uy?? i looked around & took notice after they pointed it out...and they were right! nobody had one! i thought it quite peculiar, i mean don't other ppl need to bring "supplies" w/ them while they're on the mountain? i had some drinks, some chocolate, food, etc...i mean, what if i really had gotten lost right? ah well, i guess other ppl just aren't that smart. yeeeeah...

i had plenty of other chances to prove my intelligence that night too. me n JB were walking by some of the lifts n i asked them which lifts they were checking while they were looking for me earlier. he named a couple, none that i recognized, then i told him i was riding on the one named "Poma". he looks @ me n goes:

JB: huh? dude, there's no lift called "poma" around here.

me: no i'm sure! serious, i saw it man, there was this big ass sign w/ lights n everything.

JB: i dunno man, i'm pretty sure there's no lift w/ that name on either side of the mountain...

me: p-o-m-a. no man, i'm sure of it. i seriously remember seeing a sign like that on the lift i was on.

JB: (glances up as we walk past one of the lifts) omg, dude...they're ALL "Poma"! "Poma" is the friggin manufacturer of the lifts! every single friggin lift has one of those signs!

me: (looking at the lift) uy....?? omg...

there on the side of the lift was a huge backlit sign for "POMA", the company that made the lifts. pure genius eh? i knew i'd seen those words before, the image of the sign was carved into my memory, but it wasn't the NAME of the bloody lift, it was the BRAND. yeesh, good thing nobody else asked me which lift i was riding. can u imagine the Ski Patrol asking me what lift i was on? "uh...yeah the POMA one." they'd prbbly think i was trying to be some kinda smartass. my brilliance didn't stop there either, one time when we reached the end of the lift & were just getting off at the top of the mountain, i pushed off on my board but one of the straps from my backpack got caught on the lift & started swinging back around w/ the chair to head back down the mountain. i held onto it for a second but had to drop it, luckily the strap shook loose n the bag fell not too far away. ah...maybe THAT's one of the reasons why ppl don't wear packs while they board. O_o had a number of pretty painful spills too, one during which i thought i'd broken a rib. i caught an edge & fell over on my front side, hard. i heard a crack too. this was just like the time i broke my collarbone, so i immediately popped up n shook my arms around to make sure nothing was broken (i must've looked like an idiot, sitting their wriggling my arms like an octopus), and they moved so that was a good sign. only now, i thought maybe i've broken a rib since i felt so winded & i was still in a bit of pain. lay there for a few seconds...*whew*. ok back to normal. but still, those spills felt a lot more painful than they used to. maybe i'm getting old...body isn't as durable as it used to be, i've abused it too much. used to be able to fall & just pop right back up, now i have to stay down for a few seconds. nyeh...maybe it's just that i haven't been boarding for so long, or cuz of the rock hard patches of ice (there were a few that night), but u know that feeling you get when you've been hit in the nose/facial area real hard? it's almost like a kind of taste/smell that you can feel...like when you're hit so hard you think you've got a bloody nose? yeah, that's what i felt some times when i hit the deck a few times. ouch.

but yeah all in all it was a good night, had a B.C. burger @ the lodge (Bacon & Cheese), boarded till they closed @ 2200, then went home n had some fried noodles. tomorrow...the BIKE SHOW

the Land of Plenty - Saturday, January 15 2005

first off...no, i'm not talking about the University of Western Ontario. that's the land of "milk & honey(s)". nonono, today's visit involved beauties of a different nature: the fuel-injected, chrome-plated, carbon fiber-clad, bikini-faired "ladies" of the Vancouver Motorcycle Show!

(damn, my wrists are killing me, feel all swollen from breaking yesterday's falls...)

mr. vuong slept in, n cookie got called in to work, so it turned out being just me n ed @ the show, one of my boyz from the early ages of MacCorkindale Elementary. good times. but yeah, didn't really feel like taking many pictures this time, didn't see any good deals on gear either. guess times are changing, too many places you can get stuff for cheap online so the local shops can't keep up. it's been 3 years since i've been to a bike show too. slung a leg over some pretty tricked out rides but decided to refrain from the picture-taking...just seemed too juvenile. HOWEVER...there was one beauty that was just begging to be ridden & i had to capture the moment:
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click HERE for some more of the eye candy observed.

yup. n that pretty much sums up Week II.

2005: WEEK I

rollercoaster - Monday, January 3 2005
huh...heard the bad news about Trey on Jan. 1, but today (Jan. 3) i heard good news about my mom's older brother finally accepting Christ after so many years. life's full of highs & lows.

just checked the weather network for the next few days here in vancouver too; next monday's sposed to be -13C!! so out of curiousity i check the same day's forecast for waterloo...+9C?! that's not right.

Warlocks & Wanderings - Tuesday, January 4 2005
drove pops to work bright n early @ 0800 in the morning so i could have a car for the day, then went home n hopped right back into bed until 1200. after eating, was about to step out the door to go down to L&M to check out what it'll cost to buy me-self a Warlock when the phone rang. it was buddy eltro (who's been working as a supervisor at a call centre d/t for quite a while now), basically asks if i can help out down there for the next few days if i'm free, cuz the centre is working w/ Red Cross to raise money for the Tsunami victims n they need ppl to man the phones. what a coincidence and what an opportunity. just last night on the news i saw ppl sending in questions about how they could help (other than financially) & the authorities were saying thanks but sorry (understandably) to ppl who wanted to volunteer manpower for the cause, as it would honestly be more of a liability than anything else to have untrained ppl go over there as they're having major problems keeping track of the Canadians that are over there already. so now i've been given an opportunity to put my sorry UW-graduate ass to use, and for a good cause.

made my way down to South Granville, checked out some stuff (guitars to be specific) & bumped into BQ. he was shopping w/ a few friends, i thought he'd already left to go back to school in Kamloops but it turns out he's not leaving till the 8th, so we'll go chill be4 then maybe. talked to some guy @ L&M bout the Warlock, gonna go check some prices @ some other shop he mentioned called Westcoast Music since L&M didn't have nething in stock @ the time. hopefully find time to do that sometime soon, along w/ making another appointment @ Fat City. after about an hour i was finished lookin' around but still had some time left to spare on the parking meter so i decided to pop into Chapters n have a look around. wound up picking up a copy of "The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy" (just the 1st book).

i'd seen someone reading it on the Skytrain way back last summer n had been meaning to check it out, but had just never gotten around to it, and so now, i finally decided to check it out, due also in part to the fact that i saw the preview for the upcoming movie based on the book just last week. should be a good read.

Wednesday/Thursday, January 5/6 2005
worked the "Chum Disaster Relief Line" @ the TigerTel office, taking donations for the Canadian Red Cross which would towards the Asian Disaster Relief Fund. day was slow to start off, good thing i had some buddies to keep me entertained during the down-time. kev was sitting beside me, n sometimes we'd swap caller stories to keep us entertained:

kev: thank you for calling the Chum Relief Distress Line, are you calling to make a donation to the Canadian Red Cross Society?

(yes)

ok, that's great, just hang on one sec...could i get your first name please sir?...

("Bob")

and your last name "Bob"?...

("NoName")

alright, so that's "Mr. NoName?"...

(Dr. NoName actually)

oh ok, "Dr. NoName." ok so how much would you like to donate today "Dr. NoName"?

($200)

ok...waitaminut...i thought you said "Dr"? that's it?! $200? c'mon "Doc", cheap bastard...

ok...so that's not exactly how it went down, but you get the idea. it was a fun day.

neway, afterwork/dinner time the calls really started pouring in, you'd hang up on one person n less than 2 seconds later you'd be on again. we barely had time to breathe for over 1/2 hr sometimes w/ calls coming in non-stop. despite getting a sore throat from all the talking, it was really great to hear ppl calling in from all over the country (we were getting calls from all over N. America, although I seem to have been spared the American callers)...even had a few callers from the "519" in K-W. overall there was just a great sense of camaraderie & goodwill that i got from the callers. why can't this happen more often? i guess this was just a glimpse of how the world could be.

oooh, all my marks finally came out on Quest, and although my lack of motivation/studying for finals was evident as i saw my final marks showed a slight dip from the average i had before exams, it doesn't matter b/c they can all go suck an egg...4 for 4, !BAM! it is finished.

o yeah, we got snow today. quite a bit


the spirit endures - Friday, January 7 2005
snowed thru the night & for most of the morning. was sposed to go catch a movie w/ a friend tonight, but just didn't feel right going n having a good time after attending Trey's memorial service today. i know he prbbly wouldn't want every1 to put their lives on hold, but i think i just needed to let some time pass. in times like these, where we've lost a loved one, it's often hard to see any joy or hope in the situation. a parent should never have to bear the burden of attending their own child's funeral. so many memories of good times in the past...

i know a lot of us looked/felt like we had come to the end of the road. but the truth is, we will smile again, we will laugh again. this is the resilience of the human spirit, and it is that knowledge that gives us hope to carry on another day. yes, the body has gone, but his spirit remains and will continue to live on through the rest of us.

big bunch of us went to catch early dinner at the Keg after, just to chill & catch up. i'm slowly learning a lot of situations have changed in the past few years. of course some things will always remain pretty much the same (more or less), but i will have to recognize the differences between what was 2.5 years ago, and what is. lotta stuff goin through my mind today...but i this isn't the place for it. find peace bro...

the 1st week of the year in a nutshell. 51 more to go...

why

most of the time it's the first and only question, but today it stands alone as both query and response. why must stars always burn their brightest, just before they fade away?

R.I.P. Trey - 01/01/2005